The present invention is directed to an automated system for dispensing liquid colorants in a paint-batching process, by which an automated system from the beginning of the processing of an order for a particular can of paint to the end thereof defined by the finished paint can product is achieved. Machines for the batching of coloring agents in a paint-batching process are known, and an example of such is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,083--Rossetti. In such a machine, the formula for the particular color of paint to be formed, via the dispensing process, is stored in a particular address of the computer system's memory, and by which the solenoid valves, or the like, of the machine are controlled for the automatic dispensing of a particular colorant or colorants used in the formation of the particular color of paint. Machines of this type are also manufactured by the Miller Paint Equipment Company of Addison, Ill., under the product name "ACCUTINTER." Both types of machines above-described dispense each colorant through a valve on a volume basis. Both types of machines also disclose a method for calibrating the machine during its initial inception, by measuring the weight thereof and adjusting the volumetric-flow dispensing of the colorant in accordance therewith, as compared to the nominal weight contained in a table, or the like. Such calibration via the weighing of a droplet thereof, as explained above, is done at the initial outset of the emplacement of the machine for calibrating purposes, and at regular intervals thereafter. These above-described prior art devices for the automatic dispensing and batching of paint into paint cans have no effective means for the quality-control checking of the dispensed liquid colorants, nor of the final paint can product. It has been known to weigh the final product in order to determine, in an approximate manner, whether or not the paint color therein actually lies within a broad range of resolutions indicative of the paint color so desired. Of course, such simple weighing of the final product is not very refined, often leads to acceptance of colors of paint cans which otherwise would be rejected were a more refined standard used, and, would also reject cans for which the color of the paint would be acceptable under a more refined method.
The present invention is also directed to the upstream and downstream processes of a paint can before and after reaching the machine for batching of coloring agents, as above described. Essentially, the present invention retains complete control and information on the formation of a paint can of a particular paint color from the beginning of the placement of an order for that particular color of paint, until the very end, where the paint can is mixed and sorted for subsequent location and storage of inventory, or the like. There are, of course, many types of automated processing systems by which a particular product may be dispensed and stored in a container, and subsequently conveyed to a warehouse, or the like. However, the present invention is uniquely directed and suited to a paint-batching process encompassing the entire cycle from the placement of the order for a particular color of paint can to the end, where the thus-formed paint can is ready to be packaged for shipment. Hitherto, very little control of the ordering of a particular paint color, and the formation thereof, has been carried out, and the only substantially complete automated system being that above-described for the formation of the particular paint color via the volumetric dispensing of the particular liquid colorants thereof into the container via the conventional paint-batching machine.
There is no presently available system by which, at the inception of the placement of an order for a particular color of paint, such order will thereafter automatically be coupled and linked along the entire manufacturing process to the particular paint can or cans being so formed by the automated apparatus for carrying out the batching of the liquid colorants, as well as to the final products' sortment for shipment, and the interrelated customer information associated therewith. The present invention achieves such a unified, centralized and automated production system completely tied to the initial placement of the order of paint cans, by the computer system's intercommunications with the automated paint-batching machine, the computer system's monitoring and controlling the complete operation thereof, as well as checking for quality control via a weight-loop quality-control check.
The present invention utilizes bar-code on each paint can, which bar-code is read at a multitude of stations by an optical scanner, the bar-code on each can indicating a specific dynamic relocatable memory of the computer system indicative of the particular formula of color for the paint to be dispensed, or its corrected formula, as well as other information concerning size of can, customer information, and the like, useful in inventory control. The use of bar-codes on containers in assembly processes has been known before. Examples of such are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,071, which discloses a batching process for the formation of batch blending operations for the manufacture of various products. The bar-code on each container indicates a particular batch formulation recipe for that particular carrier, which batch formulation recipe is stored in the computer system. However, this patent does not disclose specific use in the paint-batching environment, nor for the quality control of the dispensed liquid colorants of the paint.